


Decontamination

by SailorChibi



Series: Littles Are Known [1]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Age Play, Alternate Universe, Baby!Tony, Bathing, Carrying, Cuddling, Daddy!Steve, Decontamination Showers, Diapers, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gen, Hugs, Infantilism, Little Headspace, Pacifiers, Pants wetting, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, Wetting, alternate universe - littles are known, non sexual age play, non sexual infantilism, overwhelmed tony, tired tony
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-17
Updated: 2016-01-17
Packaged: 2018-05-14 09:57:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,929
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5739328
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SailorChibi/pseuds/SailorChibi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After a long battle, Steve takes care of his little.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Decontamination

**Author's Note:**

> This was written from a prompt on tumblr, inspired by [this gorgeous picture](http://tsuki-chibi.tumblr.com/post/135036409247) drawn by the awesome [letitrado](http://letitrado.tumblr.com/post/134786865497). I posted it on tumblr a month ago and am just now getting around to putting it here.
> 
> It takes place fairly early on in the 'littles are known' verse.

It had a very long, very hard battle. Put an extra emphasis on _long_. For three days solid the Avengers, the X-Men, and the Fantastic Four had been dealing with the results of one of Reed’s experiments. Steve still didn't know what the hell Reed had been doing, but all he really cared about was the portal that had been pouring thousands of cockroach-like aliens into downtown New York. Aliens that, when killed, exploded a sour, rotting black substance all over the place.

Steve sighed as he stepped out of the hastily constructed decontamination showers and donned the shirt and jeans handed to him by a SHIELD agent. The portal was finally closed, the cockroaches had been dealt with, and it felt good to be clean again. It would feel even better once he got to see Tony, the rest of the team, ate, and slept. In that order.

He sought out Coulson, who was standing with an arm around Clint. Clint had been through the decontamination showers too, and was dressed in a similar shirt and jeans. Steve gave him a cautious smile, because things were still a little unsteady, and was surprised when Clint actually smiled back and reached for him. He accepted the hug gladly, more than willing to indulge any little’s need for comfort, especially after such a physically and emotionally draining battle.

“Tony’s over there,” Clint whispered in his ear. “I think he needs you, Cap.”

Steve hadn’t realized that Iron Man had returned. He and Thor had spent most of the past three days on the outskirts of New York along with the X-Men, working to keep the aliens from escaping the city. He looked around for the trademark gold and red armor, but didn’t see it. It wasn’t until Clint gently tapped his arm and pointed that Steve spotted Tony and the gunk-covered armor.

Tony was standing by himself, watching while the armor was housed down by SHIELD agents. His arms were tightly folded across his stomach, like he was hugging himself, and his head was lowered. A casual observer might have thought he was half-asleep, but Steve could see the tension in the way he was standing. It was a struggle Steve was starting to get familiar with.

He squeezed Clint’s shoulder in thanks and jogged over, eyeing the SHIELD agents who were handling the armor. It looked like they were being cautious, so he set a hand on Tony’s shoulder. Tony stiffened further, relaxing a tiny bit only when he realized who it was. Steve had to duck his head to get a good look at Tony’s face. As soon as he did, he knew that it was a damn good thing he’d rushed through his decontamination shower.

“Hey sweetheart,” he said, keeping his voice soft, intimate. “Are you tired?”

Tony shook his head, biting his lip. He looked like he was two seconds from sticking his thumb in his mouth. 

“Because I gotta say, you look pretty tired.”

Again, Tony shook his head. 

“How about hurt? Are you hurt anywhere?”

For the third time, Tony shook his head, though it was slower. He shot Steve a quick glance from under lowered lashes, a glance that spoke volumes. 

“Okay,” Steve murmured, edging closer until their shoulders were pressed together. He suspected that Tony was on the edge of his little headspace, but fighting it tooth and nail because they were in public and he wasn’t comfortable with that yet. It wasn’t a fight Tony would win; not when he was exhausted, in pain, and hungry, not when his caregiver was standing so close.

They stood there together until the armor had been as cleaned as the agents could make it. It took a long time. Steve’s stomach growled a couple of times, but he ignored it. He didn’t care how long it took; he wasn’t going anywhere without his little. 

Slowly but surely, the weight against his side grew heavier. By the time the armor was finished and had been loaded up to be shipped back to the tower, he was supporting most of Tony’s weight. The agent in charge nodded nervously at both of them, seeking approval. Steve nodded back, granting it, and watched them disperse. 

Then he shifted a little, turning slowly towards Tony, until Tony fell into his chest with a startled sound. Steve seized his advantage and scooped him up, supporting Tony with an arm under his rump and another hand to his back. Tony’s knees hooked over Steve’s hips instinctively even as he grumbled a complaint.

“Dun need to be c’rried,” he slurred.

“I know you don’t, but you’re sleepy,” Steve said. He also knew that Tony adored being carried as much as Steve enjoyed carrying him. Finally, a use for his strength that didn’t involve punching people in the face. 

Tony mumbled something, more asleep than awake, and his thumb started to gravitate towards his mouth. Steve grabbed his wrist to stop him. He didn’t care if Tony sucked his thumb, but Tony hadn’t been through the decontamination showers yet. He’d spent most of the past three days in the armor, but god only knew what he’d touched outside of it.

“Don’t do that, sweetheart,” he said. “Your hands are dirty, okay?”

“Not,” Tony mumbled.

Steve smiled to himself and carried his precious bundle back towards Coulson and Clint. Natasha had joined them, clean and bandaged; she was idly spinning one of her knives on the tip of her finger while Clint watched in fascination. Coulson glanced at Steve and offered him the hint of a smile. 

“Thor and Banner are on their way back,” he said. “Estimated arrival time two hours.”

“Status?” Steve asked, sitting down on the back of a van and settling Tony more securely in his lap. Again, he stopped Tony from sucking his thumb. Coulson watched this, then reached into the pocket of his suit. Steve’s eyebrows shot up as Coulson pulled out a clean pacifier. 

“You never know when you’ll need one,” he said to Steve. “You might want to start keeping one on hand now.”

“I’ll have to do that,” Steve muttered, accepting the pacifier, already thinking about adding a pouch for that to his uniform. He pressed the pacifier to Tony’s lips, gratified when the little immediately latched on. When he looked back up again, Coulson was all business.

He rattled down the list of known injuries, which wasn’t as extensive as Steve had feared. The worst was a couple of broken ribs for Clint and a broken left arm for Natasha, neither of which would slow the spies down for long. Tony hadn’t been to medical yet, but Steve didn’t think he was too badly injured. He’d been discretely feeling for broken bones while Tony napped, but hadn’t come across anything. 

True to Coulson’s word, in roughly two hours a SHIELD jet set down and Thor and Bruce joined them. Bruce looked completely drained; Thor just looked invigorated by what he clearly deemed to have been a worthy battle. They were both hustled straight into the decontamination showers. Steve stopped stroking Tony’s hair and realized, a little chagrinned, that since Tony hadn’t gone through and Steve had been cuddling with him, now he would have to go through again too. 

It probably wasn’t really necessary for Tony, but better safe than sorry. He braced a hand under Tony’s rump again and stood up, easily adjusting to Tony’s weight. Tony stirred. He’d been drooling in his sleep, leaving a couple of saliva streaks through the grime on his chin, and now he swallowed and let the pacifier fall. Steve caught it before it could hit the ground, still walking towards the showers.

“Whassgoinon?” Tony mumbled.

“We’re going to shower.”

“Dun wanna.”

“I know, baby, but you need to get clean.”

Tony shook his head, nuzzling into Steve’s space with a tired little whimper. “Dun wanna.”

“It won’t take long,” Steve promised, stepping into the first room with Thor and Bruce in tow. “You wanna walk?”

“No.”

Steve wasn’t sure if Tony was saying no to the showers or to walking. He squeezed the little boy gently, only realizing that was a mistake when Tony grunted in surprise. Warm wetness spread between them. Tony whimpered and squirmed, his face bright red with embarrassed distress. 

“Shh, it’s okay. It’s fine,” Steve said quickly. They were turned away from their teammates, and they had to get undressed anyway. He wasn’t thrilled at being peed on, but it was all part of being a caregiver - and it was his own fault. Tony identified as a baby, which meant he didn’t have the best control over his bodily functions even when he was acting big. Steve was more than aware of that. He should’ve hustled Tony into the showers right away and gotten a diaper on him before letting him sleep. 

“No,” Tony repeated, sounding so little and helpless that it was heartbreaking. His eyes were wet with tears. He was definitely in his headspace now, and Steve’s instincts surged to the surface.

“Yeah, it is. We’re fine. I’m just gonna get you undressed, okay?” Steve set him down and quickly stripped them both, dropping the wet clothing in a heap. It would be burned later. He was pretty sure both Thor and Bruce knew what had happened - the odor of urine was both pungent and tell-tale - but neither of them would draw attention to it.

He coaxed Tony through the process, scrubbing him down with soap and carrying him through each section. Tony started to cry when they were doused with the hot water; he hated getting his head wet. Steve comforted him as best he could, knowing that the tears were a combination of being overtired and overwhelmed.

His gratitude for Coulson shot through the roof when they came to the final room, and Steve found, behind a curtained-off section, certain supplies along with the clothing for him and Tony. No diapers, but the pull-up would do until they got to the tower. He got Tony to lay down and pulled the pull-up up Tony’s legs, settling it snugly around his hips. Tony touched his arm, fingers cold, and Steve looked up at him, seeing the stain of embarrassment still written across Tony’s face.

“Sorry,” Tony whispered, lower lip quivering. “I -”

“You don’t need to apologize. I’m your caregiver, remember? And not just because of SHIELD,” Steve added, seeing Tony open his mouth. “It’s okay. Doing this, it’s what I was meant for. The serum didn’t take that away. And I like it doing it for you.” He gently tapped his finger against Tony’s nose. “We’re going to get dressed. Then we’ll go home and get something to eat, and you can have a bottle and we’ll go to bed. Okay?”

“Okay.”

The simple agreement said more about just how exhausted Tony was than anything else. Steve hurried to get them both dressed, a little relieved that the pull-up wasn’t obvious once Tony was wearing (ill-fitting) jeans. The whole world knew that Tony Stark was a little now, but Tony wasn’t comfortable with it yet.

He was getting there, though. Steve picked him up again and Tony settled again him, natural as anything. Steve said, “You still don’t wanna walk?”

“No.” Tony wrapped his arms around Steve’s neck, curling closer. “I don’t.” He was warm, and smelled faintly of chemicals, but with a sweeter tang of baby powder. Steve’s heart swelled and he thought, somewhat helplessly, that he had definitely found the little he was meant to care for.

**Author's Note:**

> Find me on [tumblr](http://tsuki-chibi.tumblr.com/).

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Oh baby](https://archiveofourown.org/works/7920070) by [orphan_account](https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account)




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